Grand Valley State, Ferris State climb the DII football Power 10 rankings

Five more top-25 teams fell this week, albeit only three were upsets. No. 1 Harding steamrolled nationally ranked Henderson State 66-0 and No. 3 Grand Valley State handled nationally ranked West Florida 31-7. With those two impressive victories, the teams sit atop the latest DII football Power 10 rankings. 

Now, how about those upsets? Northwest Missouri State football is back on track after a shaky start to the season. The Bearcats have won three in a row with their upset of "first five out" Emporia State and now have two top-25 wins in their last three games. 

• Northwest Missouri State 14, No. 15 Emporia State 9
• Saginaw Valley State 28, No. 14 UIndy 24
• MSU Moorhead 43, No. 19 Augustana (SD) 41
• Ashland 21, Tiffin 12 (this isn't a nationally-ranked upset, but a massive win for the Eagles over the team projected to compete for the G-MAC, which typically only gets one bid to the bracket.)

Remember, these are my rankings. There is no committee or voting body coming up with these teams, just my spreadsheets, notes from coaches and a lot of deep diving into rosters and stats. I try to blend selection committee metrics — like strength of schedule, in-region record and RPI — along with what I am seeing for an overall look at the landscape of DII football’s top teams.

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The DII football Power 10: Week 4

No. 1 Harding | Previous: 1: Okay, it may be time to ask if this version of the Harding Bisons is better than last year's. And let's remember, last year's team went 15-0, won the national championship and ran for more yards than any program in all college football history. 

And yes, this year's team may be better. 

This week, the Bisons trounced nationally-ranked Henderson State, one of two true programs they had to worry about for the GAC title. Braden Jay and Blake Delacruz combined for seven rushing touchdowns. The Bisons ran for 546 yards in winning 66-0 and have now opened the season outscoring its opponents 247-10. They have scored 34 touchdowns this season and have only allowed 29 first downs. We all know that the flexbone offense is run heavy, but when the Bisons do decide to pass it is more than efficient: Their opponents had thrown 72 more passes... for a grand total of nine more yards (358 for opponents versus 349 for Harding). This offense is clicking, this defense is clicking, Paul Simmons is one of DII's best head coaches and the Bisons look unstoppable right now. 

No. 2 Grand Valley State | Previous: 3: The Lakers picked up their second big victory of the season, winning by 24 points behind an impressive 17-point third quarter. The Lakers' defense was super stingy, recording eight sacks, two interceptions and helping GVSU outgain West Florida 436-121. In fact, West Florida's lone score was by the defense on a fumble return for a touchdown. The schedule doesn't get any easier with Davenport up next. A win there, and the Lakers resume is super impressive.

No. 3 Valdosta State | Previous: 2: Well, we found something that can finally stop the Blazers' train: A hurricane. Arguably the most anticipated game of the week — nationally ranked West Alabama vs. Valdosta State — was canceled due to Helene. No makeup date was announced. Regardless, the Blazers are still a good football team.

No. 4 Ferris State | Previous: 10: The Bulldogs scored 84 points. Nope, that's not a typo. In fact, they have now outscored their opponents 183-13 in the past three weeks, and after dropping 744 total yards (to just 110 allowed), they have totaled 1,928 yards on their three-game winning streak. Three players threw a touchdown pass, six players rushed in a touchdown, and four different players caught a score. This team is good. 

The steamroller is up 55-0 with 5 minutes left in the first half. This little trickery is what got the scoring started.

— Wayne Cavadi (@WayneCavadi_D2)

No. 5 Minnesota State | Previous: 4: Another week, another win. The Mavericks are 5-0 after a 33-20 over Concordia-St. Paul. Quarterback Hayden Ekern is a touchdown machine with 13 combined rushing and passing scores thus far. They have a tricky little three-game stretch coming up, starting with Sioux Falls before moving on to MSU Moorhead and then nationally ranked Augustana (SD), none of which are below .500. 

No. 6 Colorado School of Mines | Previous: 5: What a game for Evan Foster. The quarterback erupted for 434 yards and six touchdown passes in a monster 52-24 victory. He found All-American receiver Max McLeod three times for touchdowns, but his favorite target was Flynn Schiele who had 13 receptions for 297 yards and three scores of his own. The Mines train is rolling into its showdown with Colorado Mesa next week. 

No. 7 Slippery Rock | Previous: 6: Well, The Rock made what looked like an easy win more tense, watching a 28-0 lead slowly whittle itself away, but in the end, a win is a win. And The Rock now has four of them to no losses. I keep them slightly ahead of PSAC rival Kutztown merely based on strength of schedule, but it will take a decisive victory over a tricky Indiana (PA) team next week to keep them in this spot. 

No. 8 Kutztown | Previous: 7: What a victory for the Golden Bears. They trailed 3-0 East Stroudsburg 14-0 after the first quarter and responded with 27 straight points to lock up the victory and remain undefeated on the season. Running back Steven Burkhardt was the hero, rushing for 96 yards and two scores while reeling in a touchdown pass from Judd Novak to account for 18 of the Golden Bears points. A 3-1 Bloomsburg team awaits in what has become a must-win for Kutztown to remain ahead in the PSAC championship game hunt.

No. 9 Pittsburg State | Previous: 8: The Gorillas were on a bye. Nothing to see here except a very good football team. 

No. 10 Central Washington | Previous: 9: Speaking of very good football teams, it appears the Wildcats are the team to beat in the Lone Star. They won big this week, rolling Western New Mexico 36-0 and have now outscored their first two conference opponents 81-3. The defense was on the attack: Chase Loidhamer had three sacks and Tanner Volk led the team in tackles. A winnable game at Eastern New Mexico is up next. 

First five out (in alphabetical order)

• Central Missouri: For the second week in a row, the Mules needed every point to win, walking away with a 36-35 win over Nebraska-Kearney. A huge matchup against Fort Hays State awaits. 
• Charleston (WV): As long as Chavon Wright is running the ball, the MEC goes through the Golden Eagles. Wright had 164 yards on the ground and three touchdowns, giving him 11 on the year.
• Lenoir-Rhyne: The Bears were forced to play Sunday due to Hurricane Helene. They hold this spot because of upsets, but their opponent Tusculum is no walk in the park. Check back for an update should the Bears lose. 
• Ouachita Baptist: The Tigers haven't played the toughest schedule, but they have also utterly dominated the teams they played. There is a long way to go, but they deserve this lofty ranking for now. 
• Western Colorado: The Mountaineers just keep rolling with one lopsided victory after another. This week Royce Pao rushed for three scores in a decisive 53-12 win.

DII football 5 stars: Stats that stood out

The Wheeling Cardinals were out there making crazy plays. They returned three kickoff returns for touchdowns in the first half. Tre Holloway had two of them, and also added on a receiving touchdown for a big day. 

Whoa 🤯 have THREE kickoff returns for touchdowns today... it's the FIRST HALF. The record for most punt return TDs in a game is 3, trying to find kickoff TD record, but this is nuts. Here is Tre Holloway's second of the day!

— Wayne Cavadi (@WayneCavadi_D2)

How about New Haven's backfield. The Chargers put up 465 yards on the ground and it all came from two players. Christopher Ais ran for 297 yards and Zaon Laney ran for 186. West Virginia State's all-purpose nightmare had a big day out of the backfield as well, rushing for 63 yards, catching 119 more yards and scoring three total touchdowns. 

Here's a look at five players from each offensive position that stuffed the box score.